Blog Archive

[All work pertaining to Smile and Wave 2007-2011 is under copyright]

12/29/10

December Sponsor Giveaway Package

It's giveaway time! A few of my lovely sponsors would like to offer you the chance to find out a little more about their work and offer a giveaway from their shop. ONE HAPPY COMMENTER will be the winner of all six giveaways! All you have to do is share your favorite thing about the month of December in the comments below.Comments will be open until the 1st.

Hi everyone! This is Alix from Modern Kiddo. I'm a vintage lover, obsessive collector and mama to a curly haired little cutie named Wolfie! Together with my fabulous partner-in-crime Dottie, I love to share my passion for vintage children's goodies with our readers. From fun childhood flashbacks (kid's toys and books), to old photos from the 60s & 70s and our infamous Vintage Kiddo clothing roundup (every Monday!) you can be sure you’ll always find boat loads of eye candy on Modern Kiddo.

For our giveaway, Dottie and I chose a set of the brilliant books, This is San Francisco and This is London by M. Sasek. Originally printed in 1965, these books have gorgeous illustrations that you’ll love whether you have kiddos or not! Oh and these are new copies, so they’ll be pristine! (retail value: $25)~Alix

Since 2003 Cottage Arts has been helping transform memories into lasting works of art. By sharing our digital scrapbooking and photography products and ideas with you, our site is a place to be inspired each time you visit! Owner Michelle Shefveland is also a freelance writer/photographer and has been penning the Digital Workshop column in Somerset Memories since 2005, where she offers easy to follow steps for digital art techniques.

This giveaway is for a Nature's Sketchbook Photo Art Blends 3 (digital download)

Achieve photo artistry effects with our Photo Art Blends. Set No. 3 includes digital textured papers with photo-transfer-like edges and realistic textures. Sized for your 12 x 12 photos or papers (can be re-sized to 4 x 6 or other proportions easily). Includes 30 - 12 x 12 JPG format Photo Art Blends for you to layer over or under photos and play with the layer blend modes (in Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, or Paint Shop Pro) for creative results...it will look like you used some crazy chemicals and a lot of processing time! Also includes 5 clipping masks for the photo blends that have a more defined edge, so you can clip your photo and keep the more defined white edge if you desire. Also includes a link to an on-line tutorial by Michelle using these Photo Art Blends, including numerous sample digital photo transfers and recipes used to get the effects shown.

Hi! We are Stephanie May and Stormie Dae - two sisters that love to create together and never pass up the opportunity to go thrifting. We combine forces to write our blog and run our Etsy shop, and we would love if you stopped by both to check out our latest shenanigans! ~MayDae

This giveaway includes a metal canister, a red and white pillow, and a robin's egg blue cake stand valued at $32.00.

Jen from Hey!JenRenee is a crafter, knitter, scooter enthusiast, and pretty much the biggest metal-head girl you'll ever meet. By day, she's a stay-at-home mom and at night, she knits and does freelance graphic design.She loves making hand-knit accessories and teaching knitting classes to future knitting die-hards.

This giveaway is for the handknit cowl in Mushroom shown below valued at $25.00.

"Hi Smile and Wave-ers! I'm Alli, an archaeologist, crafter, and photographer. Some of my favorite things include Polaroid cameras, my retired racing greyhound, Sharpies, and my apple red Vespa. I run an Etsy shop, OPB Studios, where I sell prints of my Polaroid photographs, along with fun items made from them. I blog about crafts, fashion, photography and life in general at One Pearl Button. Stop by sometime; I'd love to meet you! ~Alli

This giveaway is for the two 5" x5" polaroid prints shown above and below valued at $20.

************************************************

Just leave your favorite thing about the month of December in the comment section below for your chance to win EVERYTHING! Comments will be open until January 1st. Stop by and say hi to our lovely sponsors and see what lovely things they have to share. Thanks for stopping by!

My favorite thing about December is a tie between attempting to tempt my family members into snooping into the gifts I give them, and the week after Christmas when everyone has calmed down and the gifts are still under the tree awaiting their new places in the house.

My favorite thing about the month of December is my Christmas vacation - having a full week to relax and do the things I enjoy (crafting/sewing, reading, writing, cooking) is truly heavenly and something I look forward to all year long!

December was just so fantabulously great I can barely contain myself to tell you about just one thing. We moved from the UK to the USA, I experienced my first ever Christmas and I found out my little sister is expecting her first baby. The perfect end to a year of so, so many blessings. Kerry x

Wow- great giveaways! While I love Christmas and all of the wonderful family and pretty things about December, my very favorite thing is my sweet little daughter was born on the 30th, tomorrow! She will be 2!

this is an amazing giveaway! I love love the lights of December, sitting on the couch on a cold night, staring at the beautiful Christmas tree, remembering doing the exact same thing as a child. Love it.

The glowing Christmas lights, Christmas music. Family coming together. The feeling that everyone around you is working together. Being able to cheer people up by singing carols thru a busy store with your kids or the silly antlers, Christmas hats we wear. The stories you hear about people helping the less fortunate. Sitting by the fire and snow.

The best thing about December? Continuing to grow a little baby and all the falling in love that has come with that. This December I've stayed extra warm because I have had this little love growing near and dear to my heart. I know I'll get to see her in a few short months and that's the one thing that's made December extra special for me this year. Oh and all the Christmas love from online friends wasn't too bad either :-)

I love December so much!! My favorite would have to be the Christmas holiday and all that it encompases with time with family, cooking, eating, presents, making presents, Santa Claus, and celebrating my favorite person to ever walk this earth. I love Christmas!!!!

I would LOVE to win this giveaway--such amazing sponsors and gifts! My favorite things about December are giving gifts to loved ones, having time off of work to get things done around the house, and sittgng by the fire!

My favorite thing about the month of December was seeing family a lot! birthdays, christmas eve, kids home from college, etc. It was awesome. A close second was Christmas knitting. I cursed staying up late, but it was SO worth it to see the gifts received.

love this giveaway! My favorite thing in december is having my husband home with me and the three babies for almost two weeks! lots of quality time eating good food, baking, snuggling, decorating and movie watching as a family.

My favorite part of December was the ending the school quarter with straight A's, diving into CSS and Photoshop tutorials for winter break, spending time with family in Washington, not gaining weight after indulging in holiday treats and seeing my daughter's face light up after revealing her Christmas presents.

you made this giveaway HARD- how are you supposed to pick the FAVORITE thing about this glorious month? not to mention it's after the WORST MONTH EVER... christmas... peppermint mochas... twinkle lights... the nutcracker... family traditions... but i think if I have to pick ONE thing, I have to say: the last days of the month. I'm lucky- i work in schools so i have this time off- and i LOVE how reflective and goal-oriented everyone (in real life, and in the blogosphere) becomes. LOVE love LOVE the ending of the year, and preparations for a new one. cheers!

My favorite thing about December is snow! November in Michigan can get pretty cold, but we don't always get a good layer of snow until December. This year was no exception, we got our first big snow fall the first weekend of December!

oh my goodness, what a wonderful giveaway! my favourite thing about december is the buzz of excitement in the air about the holidays. the whole month you can feel it and see it in everyone's faces. everyone is a little bit kinder and happier and once the wonderful holidays come around the whole day stands still for awhile to be with family and friends.

My favorite thing about December is all the celebrating we get to do--our son's birthday, various Christmases, work parties, and New Year's! I love an excuse to dress up, grab a bottle of wine, and stay up late!

My favorite thing about December is the week off of school and work. Its the one week that I have with my husband and daughters and I look forward to it for months before. It's a magical time for sewers, crafters,and thrifters alike. Yay!

My youngest sister is my best friend and she brings out the most fun parts about me. She now lives in Texas and I now live in Oregon and the only time we get to see each other is during Christmas in California. This is my favorite thing about Christmas, getting to see her.

December is wonderful in so many ways! The best thing, for me, is having time off from work to spend with my loved ones. I look forward to it all year long! I also love giving gifts, listening to Christmas music, and wearing things that are warm and cozy :)

the best thing for me is after i get the tree up and decorated. i love to sit in the living room at night when the only light is from the white lights on the tree and is reflected in the sparkly glittery silver ornaments. that and the holiday baking with the hubs. fun times!

Oh, I love so many things about December... I love the time by the fire and the Christmas tree- both those very different lights twinkling in the night... I love getting Christmas cards from friends near and far and reading about how their lives have blossomed and grown over the last year... I love the time with my husband and family... I love searching and creating perfect gifts for friends and family members.... and I love December 31st, New Years Eve! I can't wait! -e

December is the best season to be motivated by the creativity and traditions of others. It is so magical to find a creation or find a new tradition that suits your family to a tee. December is a time of creativity, simplicity, caring, and sharing.

My favorite thing about this month has been experiencing Christmas through my 3 year-old's eyes. He was over the moon when he received the plastic moose that pooped jellybeans, the very one he had been begging for for weeks. There goes my "no plastic junk" rule.

My favorite part of December is that it becomes perfectly acceptable to sit in your pj's all day long sipping hot cocoa and watching movies...or maybe it's not acceptable but I do it anyway. Also, gift giving. I love shopping for and making thoughtful gifts for my loved ones.

It's the month that my dearest husband was born! Love celebrating his birthday at the beginning of the month. Memories of Christmas cheer make the middle of the month bright and merry, and seeing family and friends makes the end of the month even merrier. Was that too many favorite things?

December 31st is our anniversary. I love how every year after (almost 6 yrs now) we think back to our sporadic elopement. We didn't tell anybody, but Chuck turned off his cell phone with a message saying we were getting married. We had a fun time listening to the messages!

Christmas Eve! when parents and kids alike are delirious with anticipation and excitement! This year our son left a letter to Santa along with the cookies for him to sign. It was so fun - and Santa signed it complete with sooty fingerprints! :)

oh it is sooooo hard to pick just one!!! for me I think once the decorations are up and the house is so cozy feeling I love to snuggle up in a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies.

I will sound like a typical teacher but I have to say my favorite thing about December is the Christmas Break. By that time of the year, we need a small vacation from teaching, lesson planning and grading just to recharge our batteries for the coming semester.thanks for the chance to win!missmelissaf@yahoo.com

I love the cheery spirit, warm glow of lights at night, excited children and the calm before the storm on Christmas Eve. I really love it all, even the "fresh start" feeling I get towards the end of Dec. just in time for New Years!

I think December is simply magical! We didn't have snow here (in KC) but we certainly have a quintessential Christmas town (Lawrence) completely done up for the holiday season. BUT my favorite thing was the generosity and kindness of others!

My favorite thing about December is a tradition my husband and I have. My hometown has a big gingerbread competition every year. All of the shops on main street have gingerbread houses in their windows. Every year the hubs and I spend one evening walking downtown looking at all the houses. This year our favorite was a huge gingerbread church with stained glass (candy) windows and pews inside. There was even an alter up front with a Bible and alter cloth. It's amazing the work people put into these houses. Next year he and I are going to make a house together to put into the competition. :)

My favorite thing is definitely preparing for Christmas with decorations and having time off with my boyfriend! (He's a teacher and I'm still in school, so we get that solid week from Christmas to New Year's!)

My favorite thing about December would be ~ The beautiful sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas. I like to relive the magical moments of my favorite Christmas memories: waking up to a blanket of freshly fallen snow. Searching for the prettiest Christmas lights, baking cookies with my family,and hoping to make someones Christmas bright. Remembering the reason for the Christmas season.

jackpot giveaway- yes, please!!my favorite thing about december is spending christmas morning with just my husband, my son and our dog. i love my extended family(s), but i remember why i'm blessed when it's just the calm of my besties. :)

i love all the goodies here! my favorite thing about December would be the movies & the lights of the Christmas tree (which i'm not even close to ready to take it down!)wishing you a very happy NEW YEAR! xoxo.

it's that time between christmas and new year...when everyone has calmed down from the craziness of the shopping and going and running and doing. people are smiling and bundled up and kind. giving is more the norm than not in december. i dig that lots. <3

December is a month that forces me to get my act together to combine craftiness with giving. Never do i end up having enough time to create all the precious gifts for loved ones that I long to do, but December provides a greater outlet for creativity for me than any other month...of course, without loved ones, the craftiness would have very little purpose.

My favorite thing about December is using the holidays as an excuse to treat myself and my family with little gifts and surprise activities. We call it "Christmas All Month!" Why don't I just live this way year round?